Azerbaijan-EU visa facilitation could enter into force very soon

The European Union hopes that the visa facilitation agreement with Azerbaijan will enter into force in the summer of 2014, Malena Mard, the head of the EU Delegation to Azerbaijan told journalists on May 19.

She added that the association agreement and the supplementary contract to it are also being negotiated.

Azerbaijan and the European Union signed a visa facilitation agreement at the EU summit in Vilnius in November 2013.

Azerbaijan signed a readmission agreement with the European Union on Feb.28.

When the new rules come into force, a decision on issuing a visa will be made within 10 days, in case of emergency - in two days or less.

The application will cost 35 euros for Azerbaijani citizens, and a list of required documents will be reduced for certain categories of the population, in particular - relatives, members of official delegations, students, teachers, businessmen, scientists, and journalists.

Signing of the visa facilitation and readmission agreements is envisaged by the EU's Eastern Partnership program aimed at closer cooperation of the EU with six former Soviet republics - Azerbaijan, Armenia, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine.